The event, called Unity for
Human Dignity (#U4HD), was a powerful reminder of how much the world needs a
welcoming America.

Mayor Tom Barrett, who signed
a resolution
opposing Trump’s immigration policies, authored by Alderman Jose Perez, which
passed earlier that day on a 13-2 vote, reassured the immigrants and refugees
in the crowd that “we don’t want you to be fearful,” even though their fears
are real.

He said that the Milwaukee
Police Department would not work with federal agencies to deport those who are
stopped for minor infractions, such as a broken tail light.

Barrett also said that the
photograph of the young Syrian boy washed up on the shore is a constant
reminder of the need to support the basic human dignity of immigrants and
refugees.

“So this is what we’ve come
to?” he said.

He then signed the anti-fear
resolution, with a special shout-out to Alderman Chevy Johnson, who was in
attendance.

Among the most poignant
speakers last night was Raul Ortiz, a child refugee from Honduras, who
addressed the crowd in both English and Spanish.

“When I was five years old I was
kidnapped by bad people who take children away from their parents,” Ortiz said.

He and his mother fled to the
U.S. for their safety.

“I am so happy to be safe
here in the United States,” Ortiz said. “My mother and I applied for asylum. We
do not want to ever return to Honduras because of violence.”

Ortiz pleaded with the
president to show compassion for refugees like himself.

“My favorite president is
Abraham Lincoln,” Ortiz said. “He freed the slaves. So I believe President
Donald Trump can do the same thing with the refugees of Central America and all
other refugees.”

Another speaker on the
hardships faced by refugees was Regina
Bakala. Bakala had been imprisoned and raped in her native Democratic
Republic of Congo; her husband had been tortured. They fled to the U.S. and
after a long, hard fight against deportation, they were granted asylum.